SKOWHEGAN – A Somerset County Jail inmate, who, authorities said, believed incarceration would provide him with an airtight alibi, allegedly tried last month to hire a hit man to kill his pregnant wife, her unborn child and the man he believed was involved with his wife.

The man he hired and paid off with thousands of dollars worth of prescription drugs, however, turned out to be Detective Lt. Carl Gottardi II, a veteran officer with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department.

Because the woman was pregnant, a groundbreaking law passed by the state Legislature last session was used to charge the inmate, according to Somerset County District Attorney Evert Fowle, making this case likely the first in the state to use a victim’s pregnancy to elevate the status of the crime.

Victor Frascone, 29, of Fairfield, who already was serving a five-month sentence for assaulting his wife, was charged Monday night with three Class A crimes: solicitation to commit murder, solicitation to commit elevated aggravated assault on a pregnant person, and aggravated trafficking in a scheduled W drug.

He will make his first appearance in Skowhegan’s 12th District Court this morning. Convictions could bring 40 years in prison for each offense.

Gottardi said Frascone did not know that he had hired a police officer until he was arrested. The two had several conversations, Gottardi said, but he would not say whether they ever met face to face or simply spoke over the telephone.

“It came to our attention that Frascone was asking around for someone to do this,” Gottardi said. “We are confident that he had only been shopping with me and that there is no one else out there seeking to harm the victim.”

Gottardi said the victim was notified on Monday of the solicitation attempt and “is in no danger at this point.” He would not say whether the woman is in hiding or at a secure location.

Gottardi said Frascone dictated to the officer exactly how he wanted the murders committed and added “special requests” he wanted carried out before, during and after the killings. Gottardi would not elaborate or provide details but confirmed that Frascone was the father of the unborn child.

Frascone offered to pay Gottardi with several hundred prescription narcotic pills, each pill worth $5 to $15 on the street, Gottardi said.

The officer picked up the pills several days ago at Frascone’s Fairfield home on Elm Street, which is within 1,000 feet of an elementary school. The pills were to be a down payment for the killings, which were to be carried out Halloween night.

Fowle said the bill that created the new crime of elevated aggravated assault on a pregnant women was signed into law in June. It applies to anyone who assaults a pregnant woman if the child she is carrying dies. The legislation does not apply to fetal deaths resulting from an abortion or medical care.

The measure originally sought to create crimes of fetal manslaughter and fetal murder if an attack on a pregnant woman killed her unborn baby. It was referred to as a “Laci Peterson bill,” taking its name from the pregnant California woman who was killed in 2002 by her husband.

The Maine bill, introduced by state Rep. Brian Duprey, R-Hampden, was reworked and emerged as a compromise between abortion rights groups and anti-abortion activists.

During the same session, a separate bill was passed titled “An Act to Protect Motherhood,” which identifies the unique circumstances of domestic violence faced by pregnant women. It instructs judges to apply special weight to homicides involving women who are pregnant.

Fowle, who called Frascone’s intent “shocking,” said he was confident that the investigation Gottardi conducted has provided the state with a very strong case.

“This is the reason we are so aggressive in prosecuting domestic violence cases,” Fowle said. “To avoid this type of situation. I’m just glad it was Detective Gottardi that [Frascone] was talking to and not someone else.”

The arrest was not the result of a trap, Gottardi said, but rather the department’s ability to take advantage of a situation that was already under way. “We have no doubt that he wanted this done,” he said.

Gottardi said, “If it hadn’t been me, there are other people out there willing to do these things for drugs.”